Accused YouTube Child Abuser Loses 2 Kids

A rather deranged YouTuber going by the moniker “DaddyOFive,” real name Mike Martin, has lost custody of two of his children after a Maryland judge deemed the man’s series of mean-spirited and vicious “pranks” against his kids could constitute potential child abuse.

According to WTTG in Washington, 9-year-old Cody Martin and 12-year-old Emma Martin were returned to the custody of their biological mother, Rose Hall, after the judge watched some of the videos and issued an emergency custody order in favor of the mother.

The issue had recently reached fever pitch following immense backlash and a petition to Child Protective Services in Maryland circulated against Martin and his wife, Heather — who has three older boys of her own. The petition alleged the couple was committing “child abuse” to the two young children, who were the targets of intense, drawn-out and profanity-laced “pranks” that came across to viewers as psychological and verbal abuse that drove the children to tears.

The U.K. Daily Mail reported that Hall and her attorney, Tim Conlon, had released a video of their own about the ongoing custody battle, during which they thanked the many viewers who had helped raise the issue and supported their efforts at getting the children out of the situation.

“They’re doing good. They’re getting back to their playful selves,” stated Hall in the video. “Very heartbreaking and disturbing to see my kids abused.”

“The kids are in a deprogramming sort of mode in the moment,” added Conlon.

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“It’s going to take a lot of counseling to help him,” said Hall of son Cody, according to WTTG. “A lot of family counseling to get us all back on track.”

According to New York magazine, the “DaddyOFive” YouTube channel was popular, boasting some 750,000 subscribers and estimated to have brought in $200,000 to $350,000 annually.

However, many of the videos sparked outrage as the children, particularly Cody, would be verbally berated for things they didn’t do or see their prized possessions — such as video game consoles or tablets — be destroyed or taken away, leaving them crying hysterically or lashing out violently against their older siblings in anger as the result of “pranks” that went way too far.

Mike and Heather Martin recently released a video of their own in response to the backlash they had received, apologizing for their behavior and pointing out that they had demonetized and taken down most of their video archive on YouTube. However, they also tried to excuse their admittedly bad behavior by asserting that the children themselves were in on the planning of all of the pranks.